African Drumming for Schools
Africa Projects/ Arts & Cultural Weeks/ Regular Classes
Bring your curriculum to life with our creative, interactive African Drumming Experiences!
These exhilarating sessions offer KS1 to KS4 children improved wellbeing, communication and social skills, teamwork, confidence, co-ordination and cultural understanding.
A highly creative way of fulfilling key aspects of the National Curriculum, including:
- Music & Culture
- Science of Sound
- Geography
- Numeracy and Literacy
- GCSE/A level music
‘READY STEADY DRUM!’ is one of the easiest ways to bring the amazing benefits of regular music to your School or Nursery.
Brilliant fun – for staff as much as for children!
Inexpensive – just colourful washing-up bowls and little drumsticks.
- Improves listening skills, focus & co-ordination.
- Highly-engaging support for phonics & numeracy.
- Advanced brain development & learning.
- Positive social skills & confidence.
- Perfect for Circle Time!
3hr Staff Training – with activities to fill the school year.
‘Ready Steady Drum!’ was created by Sarah Westwood for Birmingham Education Authority, to raise standards of literacy, numeracy and motor skills in Foundation and KS1.
Now enthusiastically received by schools across the country.
KS1 to KS4
African Drumming
Our African Drumming Experiences for Schools are practical, educational and come with a big ‘wow’ factor!
Children love playing the beautiful instruments and enjoy feeling successful quickly, whilst learning the fundamentals of music-making. Sessions are tailored to each age group, and include:
- Cultural background & how instruments are made,
- Playing basics & rhythm games,
- Learning a performance piece,
- Key communication skills,
- Leadership & positive contribution.
Whole or half-day sessions and weekly classes.
Up to five classes in a day, or two to three longer classes culminating in a sharing or video performance.
- Whole day: £400
- Half-day: £300
- 1 hr session: £200
+ travel - Discounts for multiple bookings and residencies.
Weekly Classes
Regular drumming sessions make the most of the benefits music has to offer, building foundational technical skills and musical understanding, and self-esteem as children realise how wonderful they can sound on these powerful instruments.
Drumming relieves stress, boosts wellbeing and gives children a real educational advantage, accelerating their brain development and readiness for learning.
Being in a class band develops valuable key skills:
- Focus
- Listening
- Awareness of others
- Turn-taking
- Practice
Drumming is highly accessible with a truly wonderful result, impressing all who take part and hear!
Staff Training
Ready Steady Drum!
‘Ready Steady Drum!’ engages children in creative rhythm and rhyme activities, building a wide range of foundational skills.
This highly accessible programme gives staff all the skills to lead successful musical activities. Drumming is thrilling for young children – and staff! … making it an ideal activity to support:
- Wellbeing
- Listening
- Concentration
- Dexterity
- Working together
‘Ready Steady Drum!’ is offered as a 3-hour training, with optional follow-up sessions available. Includes full written material for on-going inspiration.
- £400 + travel for up to 20 participants. Schools are welcome to collaborate to share costs.
- Approx £100 for equipment for 20 children.
- Follow-up sessions – bespoke.
Staff Drumming for Teambuilding & Wellbeing
Give your staff a big boost next INSET day!
Drumming is always a popular choice and offers valuable benefits:
- Quickly creates Community & Mutual Support
- Inspires & Motivates
- Relieves Stress
- Accessible & Inclusive
- A memorable experience to treasure!
1 hr to half-day events.
Testimonials
“We look forward to our drumming workshops every year. The children love them. How can such fantastic music be composed in such a short time? Absolutely brilliant!”
“The best external activity brought into school. A thoroughly enjoyable day.”
“The comments from all our staff following your workshop sessions last half term were so positive and all were amazed at how much you were able to get the children to produce after such a relatively short time working with them – it was very impressive, and most importantly the children loved it.”
“Sarah provides weekly African drumming lessons for pupils in Years four, five and six, as well as a pioneering steady beat programme for children in Early Years called Ready Steady Drum! Sarah inspires maximum musical development in those she teaches. Her results are always outstanding.”
“Sarah has been running African drumming workshops at The Arthur Terry School, Sutton Coldfield, for seven years. This is a part of our annual Year 7 multi-cultural week and ties in well with the work students have been doing on pulse and rhythm earlier in the year. Sarah’s workshops are meticulously planned and give students the opportunity to experience a range of drumming styles and techniques. Our students have benefited enormously from Sarah’s workshops and always thoroughly enjoy the experience.”
“It was incredible to see how much the children could do after having only a very short session and fabulous to see the look of excitement and enthusiasm on the children’s faces. Sarah had a lovely manner with the children and we have already booked her for next year.”
“What was especially great was the performance at the end of the day, and several other teachers who watched commented on how much they’d enjoyed it too. It was so lovely to hear all the children drumming, singing and clapping together, when often their singing is rather lack lustre!! We shall definitely be booking for you to come for another session next year!”